Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 tipped to launch this year with Lightning not USB-C

The AirPods Pro 2 looks set to launch later this year, but there could be one slightly disappointing feature in amongst this extensive overhaul – a Lightning port rather than USB-C.

Apple Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has had his say on Apple’s forthcoming second-generation high-end ‘buds. Across multiple tweets, he outlines some of what he’s heard about the Apple AirPods Pro 2.

Kuo believes that the AirPods Pro 2 will enter mass production in Vietnam in the second half of 2022. Vietnam apparently represents a better production environment than China right now.

But the interesting part here comes at the end of Kuo’s tweet thread. He claims that the charging case for the AirPods Pro 2 will be powered by Lightning again rather than USB-C.

There have been reports claiming recently that the iPhone 15 will switch to USB-C in 2023. While the AirPods Pro 2 will likely be launching a year earlier, Apple’s flagship earphones are on a much longer release cycle. It will have been three years in October since the AirPods Pro launched.

This could leave the AirPods Pro 2 feeling a little dated before its time for a solid two years.

It’s a shame, because the AirPods Pro 2 is otherwise shaping up to be a bold overhaul of Apple’s true wireless earphones champ. Reports suggest that new ‘buds will feature a complete redesign, with the elimination of those signature stems.

We could also see improved noise cancelling features, support for high-resolution audio via a new audio codec, and fresh health tracking features.

Why trust our journalism?

Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

author icon

Editorial independence

Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

author icon

Professional conduct

We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.